UPCload opens up digital measurements space

Berlin-based start-up UPCload has put a new spin on the online retail phenomenon, using home webcams to take digital measurements.

UPCload uses an ordinary webcam to scan the individual at home, wearing tight-fitting dark clothes and a CD to hold up to the camera.

“We have to localise the measurement points,” UPCload co-founder Sebastian Schulz says.

“For example, where is the shoulder, where is the wrist, where is the chest? At the end, you have to measure accurately and calibrate the measurements and therefore we use a CD.”

The idea is that once the software has taken the individual’s measurements, it can project various clothes onto a precise representation of that person’s body.

That way, consumers can become more comfortable with the prospect of buying clothing online. Other European start-ups built around similar concepts include Fits.Me and MimicMe.

While consumers are becoming increasingly more open to the idea of buying clothes they haven’t tried on, anything that can ease their concerns is usually welcomed with open arms.

Are there other ways in which you can make the experience even better?